Twenty One Days
by Erica McSwarek
Summary: Twenty one days since tragedy rocked Sam and Andy. Starts after 3x9. *Two Shot* M for language
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N; Most of you will probably consider this a little OOC on Sam's part and that's ok. It is fiction after all. I hope you all enjoy it regardless. **_

Twenty one days, twenty one days since Jerry died. Seventeen days since his funeral and since Sam broke up with her. She's lying in her bed staring at the ceiling; it's 2 a.m. and she can't sleep. Her best friend lost the man that she loved and the man that she loved lost his best friend. She'd tried to be there for him but he wouldn't let her in, wouldn't talk to her unless it was work related and even then he was short with her. He blamed her for Jerry; _**I can't be a cop and be with you.**_ Those words would forever be burned into her brain and her heart. Her eyes flew open, she didn't realize she had fallen asleep, the clock read 2:50 a.m. _What had woken her up? _ And then she heard it, a knock at her door. She checked her phone to see if Traci was paying her a late night visit but there were no missed calls or messages

She grabbed her gun out of her nightstand and slowly made her way to her to door. She waited a second or two hoping it was her imagination and then she heard it again. She took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. She was absolutely _not _expecting to find _him_ on the other side. She laid her gun down and opened her door a little more. "What do you want?"

He was barely standing, had no idea how he made it to her place and had expected a very frosty reception. He looked up. "I need you. Please."

It was then that she really saw him. He had been leaning on her door frame, head down. When he looked up she was floored at his condition. He was bloody, wet, and dirty, holding his side. "Jesus Christ Sam!" She took him by the arm and helped him into her apartment. "What the hell happened to you?"

He groaned as she helped him sit down at her kitchen table. "Fight." He winced and groaned. "I got in a fight."

She sighed and shook her head; he was spiraling out of control. She went back to her room, got the first aid kit and a change of clothes. She threw everything down on her table and started opening alcohol packs. She stood between his legs and started to clean his face up. "What happened?"

He had his hand rested on her hip. "Wrong place. Did something stupid."

She nodded, that much was obvious because the Sam she knew or at least thought she knew didn't fight. "Was it worth it?"

He wrapped his other hand around her wrist. "The psychic was wrong Andy."

She tried to school her emotions. "What are you talking about?" She had only ever told Traci what the psychic told her.

He tried to smile but it hurt too much. "Andy, I love you."

She stepped away from him and wrapped her arms around herself. "You're drunk."

He sat up straighter even though it hurt like hell. "I've been drinking, can't lie about that but I'm _not_ drunk and I do love you."

Her heart was pounding like crazy. "Stop it Sam. Why'd you come here? You could've gone anywhere. You haven't spoken to me outside of work since you broke up with me. Why now?"

He knew it wasn't going to be easy and she wasn't going to trust him again so easily. "I'm an idiot." He looked up at the ceiling as he took a deep breath. "I miss him _so much_ Andy." His hand went to his chest. "I can't even breathe most of the time." He looked at her again, she was crying. "I'm scared." He chuckled a little. "I know. Sam Swarek doesn't get scared. I've known cops that died in the line of duty but never lost anyone close to me. Jerry's my _brother._ All I could think about was _what if_. What if it had been you or what if it had been me? I couldn't make it without you Andy. I didn't, _don't_ want you to have to know the pain that Traci is feeling."

She was shaking her head. "So you thought it would be better to break my heart?" He nodded. "That's stupid."

He nodded again. "The second stupidest thing I have ever done." She raised an eyebrow. "After not telling you that I love you before tonight. He was right that I've never said it before but he was wrong about not saying it to you. You have no idea how happy, how stupidly happy I was when you told me that. I couldn't _breathe_, I couldn't _think. _I couldn't _imagine_ how _you_ could love _me_."

She was crying harder now, her voice cracked. _"What are you even saying Sam?"_

He slowly stood up and walked over to her. "I'm sorry Andy, for everything I did and didn't say. I'm sorry for hurting you when all you did was try to be there for me. I'm saying, I'm _hoping_ you can forgive me and give me another chance, give _us_ another chance. I'll do everything, I'll show you every day until you say yes. I'll cook you dinner. I'll take out your trash. I'll walk your dog."

She shook her head and said quietly. "I don't have a dog."

He sighed and shrugged. "Then we'll get one. A mutt, labra doodle from the pound, I don't care. We'll bring him home and call him Boo. Boo Radley. I've always loved that name for a dog. Please Andy."

She wanted to believe him, her heart was screaming _yes_ but her head was screaming _he gave up without a fight. _ "I...I don't know Sam.

He nodded. "I broke the only promise I ever made you Andy and I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

She was tired and he needed to get out of his wet clothes. She walked back to the table and picked up his clothes. "Shower and change before you get sick. You know where I keep spare blankets and pillows. If you're hungry or whatever..." She waved to the kitchen before she walked to her bedroom door. "Goodnight."

He sighed, happy that she didn't tell him to go to hell. "Thank you. I mean it Andy." He saw her nod slightly. "Good night."

She fell into bed very thankful that she didn't have to work the next day. There was no way she was going to able to sleep after the things he said _and_ knowing he was sleeping in the next room. She heard him shower, get blankets, and make something to eat. The next thing she knew it was daylight. When her eyes fluttered open and she looked at her clock it read 11:20 a.m.

She stretched and rolled over, that's when the smell hit her; coffee. She sighed as she closed her eyes. It hadn't been a dream. She wanted to be happy about it, about what he said but she knew he would be gone when she walked into her kitchen. The coffee was just him being nice after waking her up in the middle of the night. She contemplated going back to sleep but the smell of it won her over.

She walked out of her room a few minutes later putting her hair up in a ponytail. She stopped short when she saw him standing in her kitchen making breakfast. He looked hesitant as he said. "Morning."

Her heart hadn't beat like this in a _while._ "You're still here."

It wasn't a question. He nodded as he scrambled the eggs. "I meant what I said last night."

She bit back a small smile. "A little early for dinner."

He chuckled as he flipped the pancakes. "Maybe but it's never the wrong time for pancakes." He shrugged. "A very wise woman told me that once."

She took a seat at her breakfast bar and he passed her a cup of coffee. "Wise huh?" He nodded as he plated the food. "Maybe you should think about keeping her around."

He smiled a little as he sat beside her. "I will if she'll let me."

She spent the better part of the night thinking about him and their relationship. She slowly ate, everything he made was good. She'd really missed his pancakes though. "I did a lot of thinking last night." She made eye contact with him and he nodded. "We've both made a lot of mistakes when it comes to us." He opened his mouth and she held up her hand. "I let you talk last night. It's my turn now." He nodded. "You were right when you said we were trouble from the start." She could see him swallow hard. "I should have listened to my gut, my heart that first night at the Penny." He looked confused. "I wanted to go home with you that night Sam but I was scared. You'd just come off an eight month UC op. You made it _crystal clear_ that that's what you lived for and I...I couldn't risk falling for you even more and you leaving." Now he looked surprised. "I know you weren't happy when I started dating Luke. I didn't want you to feel like you had to choose. I never would've asked that of you. I don't regret coming to you the night of the blackout but I do regret everything that happened between us afterward."

He needed to tell her about Luke. "I came looking for you your first morning back. I brought you coffee, hoped we could talk but..."

She looked surprised. "But?"

He sighed and turned to face her. "But Callaghan stopped me and in no uncertain terms told me that you were going to his fishing cabin after work and that I needed to make sure you were out on time. I thought you'd made your choice."

He saw the anger flare in her eyes a little. "Son-of-a-bitch." She shook her head. "It was an idea he brought up weeks before. He blindsided me with it too. I'm sorry Sam." He shook his head. "I am. I shouldn't have let him get away with that but when you said _it was what it was_ I thought you'd made your choice. I thought maybe..." She shrugged. "Maybe it was just me and that you didn't feel the same way. After everything, you were still there for me with the Luke/Jo disaster. I can't tell you how much that meant to me. How much it made me realize that I'd made the wrong choice. Then with Brennan, I know you were angry and hurt with me for leaving. I loved you Sam. I couldn't let your career get ruined because of me. You said _all you wanted was to keep being a cop and all I wanted was you. _That wasn't true. All I wanted was you but I didn't want you to hate me later if we got caught and we lost our jobs." He opened his mouth and she shook her head. "It may not have happened right away but it would have. You love this job as much as, if not more than I do. I came back and wanted to be normal together but I could tell you were holding back; always leaving before breakfast, not showing much affection outside of either of our places." She shrugged. "Sure, people knew we were together but..."

He sighed and reached for her, he cupped her face. "I'm sorry Andy. I was scared. I was holding back because I was scared that you'd run again and I wasn't sure if I could handle it. I've loved you from the start though. I should've talked more. I should've told you and maybe we wouldn't be here right now."

She put her hand on his. "What happened last night?"

He looked down at the floor. "I drank a little and started a fight with some guy." He looked back up and his eyes were sadder than she'd ever seen anyone's. "I wanted to feel something besides numb Andy." He pulled his hand away from her cheek. "I miss him. I miss _you_. I didn't know I could feel empty like this." She stood up and closed the gap between them.

Andy could see, could _feel_ how much he was hurting. She wrapped her arms around him. "I'm right here Sam." He gripped her tight and she kissed the top of his head. "I'm right here."

She didn't have to look at him to know he was crying. She gave him all the time he needed and let him hold onto her tightly. He hadn't cried since he was a child, had never felt comfortable enough with anyone to open himself up like that. She eventually sat down in his lap and they stayed like that for a while.

When he finally looked back up she wiped her thumbs across his cheeks. "It's going to be ok Sam."

"Are _we _going to be ok?" He cupped her face again.

She wanted to say yes but all she could give him was. "I hope so."

He nodded because he understood they had a lot of work ahead of them. "Ok." They sat in silence for a few minutes watching each other. "Breakfast got cold." She looked over at the barely eaten food he'd made. "Let me take you out."

They never really went out on any dates before. "Like a date?"

He chuckled and smiled. "Yes. I'll go home and change, be back in an hour and take you out. Anywhere you want to go."

She stood up and pulled him up. "Ok. I'll see you in an hour."

Sam kissed her hand and left. Andy didn't want to get her hopes up but she couldn't help but be a little excited about what happened in the last 12 hours. She hurried to her bathroom and quickly took a shower. She stood in front of her closet as she called Traci to check on her. They talked for a few minutes as Andy picked out her clothes. An hour later Sam knocked on her door. He took several deep breaths as he waited for her to answer. She took several deep breaths as she reached for her door handle. When she opened it he was smiling. "Hey!"

She smiled; he looked a little more relaxed than earlier. "Hey! I umm...I..." He pulled a bouquet of tulips from behind his back and held them out to her.

This shocked Andy, in the year they were together he never once gave her flowers. "Wow. They...They're beautiful Sam. Thank you." She took them and motioned inside. "Come in while I put them in water."

He followed her inside. "Think about where you want to go?"

She smiled as she unwrapped the flowers and put them in the vase. "Actually, I was thinking maybe you could surprise me."

He chuckled; he should've expected that from her. "Ok. No problem." Not long ago he'd heard of this pancake house and he'd thought of Andy. "Are you ready?"

She nodded as she sat the vase on her breakfast bar. "Definitely."

He stepped to the side so she could lead the way. Fifteen minutes later they pulled up to the restaurant and he helped her out of his truck. They got a booth in a corner and ordered their food.

Out of nowhere Sam said. "I like tool sheds."

Andy was a little confused but said. "Ok. Why do you like tool sheds?"

He knew that if they were ever going to work he was going to have to open up to her. "When I was six my dad locked me in the tool shed over night because I broke his hockey stick. When I was 10 he locked me in there for a week because I forgot to mow the lawn. By the time I was sixteen I was screwing up just so I didn't have to sleep under the same roof as the guy." He smiled sadly. "That's when I met Charlie Fitzgerald. He was with a detective with 25." He chuckled a little. "He umm...he caught me selling stolen car parts." Andy raised an eyebrow. "He told me he'd forget the charges if I'd go back to school. So I did. Drove him nuts too. He umm...he'd let come by the station and talk to him if, you know, things got crazy at home. I spent a lot of time there needless to say." He smiled as she reached across and took his hand. He cleared his throat before he continued. "Charlie taught me a man could be good, kind and fair." His voice cracked a little.

She could tell this was really hard for him. "You don't have to do this Sam."

He squeezed her hand and nodded. "Yes I do. Andy, I don't want to wake up one day and realize no one knows me. That the one person I care the most about has no idea who I am."

She swallowed around the lump in her throat. "Sam, I know how you are."

He shook his head. "I want you to know everything. I know it'll take time but I want you to know I'm serious about fixing us."

She knew the moment he started talking that this was big. He'd only opened up to her like this one time, on the trip back from Sudbury when he told her about Sarah. "Ok." She ran the pad of her thumb across his knuckles. "I never told my dad this. About two months after my mom left she started calling our house." She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. "She kept telling me that she was going to come get me, that she never meant to leave me with my dad. _I'll be there Saturday at 10:00 p.m. Your dad will still be out drinking and we can get away. _So I'd pack my clothes and sit on the front porch. My dad would come home drunk, I'd help him inside and go wait a little longer. Every week for... " She shrugged. "...three months she'd call with the same story."

He took her hand in both of his. "Jesus Andy. I'm sorry. What was her excuse for not coming?"

She wiped the tears away with the back of her free hand. "It was different every time, I don't even remember now. I was 12 and I didn't know, didn't really understand what was going on. My dad caught me on the phone with her one day. Before I hung up she told me to still stick with our plan and she would come." He moved over to the other side of the booth and wrapped his arms around her. "A year. That's how long it took me to finally give up on her coming." She rested her head on his shoulder. "I don't know why I waited so long."

He kissed the top of her head. "Because she was your mother and you trusted her." He ran his hand up and down her arm. "You shouldn't have had to go through that. I'm really sorry."

She looked up at him teary eyed. "You shouldn't have either Sam." She sat up and cupped his face. "You deserved much better than what you got too." He shrugged. "No. You did." She cupped his face in both of her hands. "Sam, you're a good man; honest, loyal, brave."

He covered her hands with his. "How can you say that when I hurt you? The one person I never wanted to."

She smiled as she ran the pads of her thumbs over his worry lines. "I think we've done enough of hurting each other. I want to get passed all of that. I want to try again."

He smiled bigger than she'd seen him smile a while. "Really?" She smiled back and nodded. "Ok."

Andy leaned in and kissed him softly. There was nothing more that he wanted than to pull her into a passionate kiss. Those things were never their problem; actually they were quite fantastic at it. He cupped her face and kissed her softly.

They were interrupted by their waitress clearing her throat. "Sorry. Your umm...your food." She held up their plates. They thanked her and she set their food down. Sam went back to the other side of the booth while they ate. After they ate they drove around the city for a while.

Sam walked her up to her door. She smiled and squeezed his hand. "I had a great time today."

He flashed his dimples. "Me too." He kissed her knuckles. "Can I give you a ride to work tomorrow?"

She blushed a little and nodded. "I'd like that a lot."

He nodded. "Ok." He leaned in really slow and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight Andy."

She watched as he stepped back and turned to leave. "Goodnight Sam." He looked back over his shoulder and smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam picked her up the next morning for work. To everyone's surprise and delight they got out of his truck together. Oliver could only stare open mouthed. As far as he knew Sam wasn't even speaking to Andy.

Andy couldn't help the giggle that escaped when she walked by Oliver. "Morning Officer Shaw."

Sam stopped next to his best friend and chuckled when he said. "Umm. H..hey! Umm. M...morning McNally." He looked to Sam confused and then back to her. "Good to see you." She waved at both men and continued her trek inside. Oliver looked back to Sam. "Umm. What the hell Sammy? I mean, it's great but how the hell...?"

He chuckled and clapped him on the back. "Not that I'm proud of how I got there but I got drunk, got in a fight, and went to her. I told her everything just like you've been telling me to. We're not fixed but we're getting there. "

Oliver put him in a head lock and drug him inside. "Took you long enough brother. You're damn lucky she's giving you another chance."

Sam opened his locker and pulled out his uniform. "I know and I won't screw this one up."

Three weeks had passed and things were going well with them. They went out on actual dates several times week and sat together when they were at the Penny. Their new bond would be tested when a guy they had arrested previously escaped and Andy ended up in a hotel basement holding a bomb.

Sam thought things with Jerry had scared him but walking into that room and seeing Andy holding a bomb scared the life out of him. He sent Dov to get Gray and Collins out with the girl. "Ok look, we're going to change places."

She couldn't believe him. "What? No! You're insane. This thing has been juggled around enough. You need to get out Sam."

He growled a little. "I'm _not_ leaving you McNally. Not again."

Andy shook her head. "But you expect _me_ to give _you _the bomb and leave?" He nodded. "Same old same old Sam."

He looked confused and irritated. "You're actually going to argue with me about this?" He threw his hands up and huffed. "I'm just trying to..."

She inhaled deeply before she said. "Remind me that I make stupid decisions? Decisions that get people killed."

He swallowed hard and shook his head. "No Andy. That...that's not what I was going to say."

He watched as tears rolled down her cheeks and her voice cracked. "But it's what you think. I'm not reckless Sam. I took this so that little girl wouldn't have to be scared anymore."

Sam stepped up. "I wish you were in my head. I wish you could read my mind." She just shook her head. "I'm scared of losing you. I'm still working on this talking thing McNally. There's one thing that I haven't told you since we started over."

She couldn't believe he was doing this. "Sam." Her voice cracked. "I'm holding a bomb."

He wrapped his hands around hers. "So am I." He let out a shaky breath. "Andy, you have the best instincts of any cop I know. That day..." He swallowed hard. "...that day I agreed with you because I thought you were right. I really thought it was the bartender. I _never_ meant to make you feel like I don't trust your instincts. I'm so sorry about that."

ETF was there now, he slipped the pin back in and Andy walked out with Sam close behind. He sat on a bench waiting while she packed her stuff up. "Want to go get dinner?"

She was starving so she nodded. "You pick this time."

He stood up and took her bag. "Ok. How about Pad Thai?" Andy nodded as he reached for her hand. She smiled a little and took his.

They were walking down the hall when she saw Luke. He held up four fingers as she walked by and she nodded. She was lost in her thoughts as Sam drove them to her place. A week before Sam reappeared she had applied for and been accepted for **Project Dakota.** Initially she didn't tell him because she wasn't sure if they were going to be able to actually fix them. Then she tried to get out of it but couldn't. Luke's signal meant that it was time to go, she had 4 hours.

Sam carried the food to the living room and she grabbed two beers before she sat beside him. She had written him a letter in case things hadn't been repaired. Once she saw they were going well she wrote another one. There were still rare questionable moments between them. Sam was still struggling with the loss of Jerry and how to do the job while being with her.

She watched him for a few minutes as he ate and watched the Maple Leaf's. "Sam." He looked over and smiled. "We need to talk."

His smiled faded. "Ok." He turned the TV off and turned to her. "What's going on?"

She sat her food down. "I umm...I have something to tell you and umm...I don't, well you're not going to be...happy."

"You're kind of scaring me a little." He took her hand. "It can't be that bad."

Andy slipped her hand out of his and stood up. Sam watched her pace and he could see she was fighting some war within herself. "You've heard of Project Dakota?"

His stomach flipped. "Andy. No." She felt the tears prick her eyes as she turned and nodded. "How long?"

"Have I known I was going or how long do I have?" She sniffed.

Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing. He shrugged. "Both?"

She stood across the room from him. "Four weeks and four hours."

He stood up and walked over to her. "Which is which?"

She sniffed again. "I leave in four hours." She looked at her watch. "Well, more like three and a half now." She could see the hurt written all over his face. "I'm sorry. I...I wanted to tell you before but I didn't know if we were going to work out. And then I tried to get out of it but it was too late."

Now he was pacing. "You were picked for one of the biggest most dangerous UC ops that has been run in a while." She nodded. "I...I'm really proud of you Andy. You're umm...you're going to do great."

She was surprised at his response. "You're ok with it?"

He chuckled a little. "Of course I'm not ok with you being put in harm's way, being somewhere that I can't help or find you. But I am proud of you."

She sighed and sat back down. "The whole point in me going Sam is because I need to know I can do this without you. To remind myself that I am a good cop."

He sighed and sat back down beside her. "This is my fault. I'll never be able to apologize enough for putting that doubt in your head."

She took his hand. "I'm doing it for you too." He looked confused. "You still have to figure out how to be a cop and be with me if that's what you still want."

He kissed her hand. "I told you there's nothing I want more than to be with you again. I meant it, I love you."

She hadn't said those three words to him since they got back together. "I love you too Sam but I know you still struggle with it. We haven't been partnered together in two months and it drives you crazy."

She was right; it drove him insane when she went out with someone else, especially when it was Collins. "It's not because I don't think you can do this."

She nodded because she knew that. "Sam, you are one of a small handful of people that has ever had faith in me." She shrugged. "But right now I don't have faith in me. I need to do this, to find my way back again."

All he could do was nod. "Ok." He continued to nod. "Ok. I'll umm...I'll talk to Callaghan about looking after your place for you and of course I'll look after your dad."

She had three hours left before she'd be gone for who knew how long. "Sam, I know it's not fair to ask this especially because I have _no idea_ how long I'll be gone but..."

He could see what she wanted. "Andy, you are the only woman I have ever loved. I'm not going anywhere, not now that I've got you back."

She crawled over into his lap. This is the most affectionate she'd been with him. He had understood why and he would wait as long as she needed him to. _"Sam."_ It came out all breathy like it used to when he would kiss her.

He'd been dying to hear her make that sound. He whispered back_. "Sweetheart."_

Andy had missed that huskiness in his voice, the one he saved for only her. "We don't have much time and I don't want to leave without..."

He kissed her deeply as he stood up with her wrapped around his waist. Andy kept herself wrapped tightly around him as they made their way to her bedroom. He laid her gently on her bed. "Are you sure?"

She nodded slowly. "God! I have missed you so much Sam."

They slowly undressed each other. Even though it had only been two months for both it seemed like it had been an eternity. Andy ran her hands up and down his back as she held him to her. "You feel so good Sam." She pulled him closer against her. "I need you."

He wanted to take his time with her but he knew he couldn't. They were on borrowed time. "You're so beautiful." He slid inside her and they both gasped. "I've missed you so much."

Everything went to whispers as they slowly made love. It was more passionate than they had ever been before. They made love twice before she had to leave.

Sam stuffed his t-shirt in her bag before he walked her to the door. "Be careful and come home in one piece."

She gave him a tear eyed toothy grin and nodded. "I love you."

He kissed her hard. "I love you too."

He watched her climb into the passenger's seat and close the door. His heart was already aching as he watched the taillights fade. He spent the night at her place and the next morning he realized how he was going to still be a cop and be with her when she returned.

When he took his place in Parade the next morning he was less than impressed to find that Collins was gone as well. It didn't take a detective to figure out where he was. Sam approached Frank after Parade.

He knew this would happen as soon as McNally didn't show. What he hadn't planned on was the fact that they'd be back together when she left. "I can't tell you anything Sam."

He'd followed his best friend into his office. He smiled a little as he said. "That's not exactly why I'm here Frank."

That was a little unexpected. "Oh. Ok. So why _are_ you here?"

Sam paced for a few minutes. He'd never imagined himself in this job before but he couldn't think of a better way to keep the woman he loves and honor his best friend. "Well umm...I know with Jerry..." He had to swallow hard to hold back the emotion. "And with Callaghan being gone for Dakota you're short D's." He turned to Frank. "I was thinking umm... that I could, you know..."

Frank broke out in a big smile. "You want to be a detective Sammy?" He watched as his longtime friend nodded. "Great. I honestly never thought I'd see the day you'd want to come off the streets."

It was true, in his 15 years not once had he thought about wearing the D's badge. But things had changed and he _needed_ to do some changing of his own. "I didn't either but you know falling in love with someone changes you. Losing someone changes you too." Frank nodded, both were true. "I made a promise and I don't intend on breaking this time."

Frank clapped him on the shoulder. "You and McNally are great together brother. The D's would be lucky to have you. I'll push it through and Nash can help you catch up."

Sam immersed himself in all of the detective's classes. For him it was really a refresher course, as long as he'd been on the job he knew all of it. He stopped drinking so much and started taking better care of himself. He was determined to be ready when she came back. About three months after she left the division got a new T.O. Sam knew her from years ago, Marlo Cruz. Oliver watched with a close eye because he didn't like the way Cruz looked at Sam.

They were sitting at the bar when Cruz walked up. "Hey guys."

Sam greeted her with a smile. "Cruz. How was it out there today? Having fun being back on the streets?"

She stood between Oliver and Sam smiling. "You know how it is sometimes. I have to say the Sam Swarek I used to know would never be caught dead with a detective's badge. What's that all about?"

Sam was frozen at the look of distaste in Oliver's eyes as he answered. "Our best friend, a _detective, _was killed in the line of duty six months ago. Sammy is just trying to honor his memory."

Her jaw dropped, she'd heard about their loss but hadn't realized he was that close to the detective. "I...I'm so sorry. I didn't...I didn't know."

Sam waved it off. "It's just still pretty fresh. I needed a change. I made a promise to Jerry and to my girlfriend, one that I won't screw up again."

Cruz looked confused. "I didn't know you had a girlfriend. I've never seen you guys together. What does she do?"

He smiled proudly. "She's with the division but she's under right now."

Marlo nodded, a little surprised. "So you're waiting on her?"

He eyed her questioningly. "Why wouldn't I?"

She shrugged. "It's just you don't know how long she'll be gone. Doesn't seem fair to you."

Now he wasn't impressed with her. "Look, you don't really know anything about us so you can't say what's fair or not. I lost her once because I was stupid. I _will not_ lose her again; I don't care if it takes a year for her to come back." He threw some money down. "I gotta go. Ollie, do you need a ride?"

Oliver nodded as he threw down some money too. Marlo knew she'd pissed Sam off. "Swarek, I'm sorry. I didn't mean any disrespect." He nodded as he walked out.

After he dropped Oliver off he made his weekly stop by Andy's to check on things then he went home. His daily ritual was; work, a drink or two at the Penny, then home to study. He had one more week before the exam and Traci assured him he would pass. Not only were they partners but they'd actually become pretty good friends since Andy left. They were helping each other deal with Jerry being gone.

Six very long months later a little hell broke loose at the station. Frank had sent everyone out on speed traps. Oliver and Dov had brought in a guy for speeding and reckless driving. Turned out he was part of a big operation the drug squad was involved in. Sam and Traci did some digging and it turned out it was part of Dakota and Andy and Nick were in the middle of it.

Blackstone admitted that Andy and Nick had gone off the wire. Frank nearly lost it and told him they were going in whether he liked it or not. They raided the warehouse, Sam followed a team through the back and he could hear Andy begging Nick. There were other voices too but he didn't recognize them. They busted the door in to find Nick standing over Andy with a gun to her head. As ETF identified themselves Nick pulled the trigger.

Sam nearly came undone when he heard the click of the hammer and watched Andy collapse. He couldn't care less about Collins at the moment, he ran to her side. "Andy." He looked her over and thankfully she was relatively unharmed just sobbing uncontrollably. "Andy it's me. It's Sam."

He helped her sit up and she was shaking from crying. "Sam? How did you find us?"

He held her close. "Shh. It doesn't matter. It's ok." He ran his hands up and down her back to try to calm her. "Shh. All that matters is we found you."

He cut the tape off her wrists and helped her up. She had calmed down some and let Sam help her. Nick was standing in the doorway of the old bathroom. "Andy, I'm so..." He didn't get to finish his sentence because her fist collided with his nose.

They had only had each other for the last six months but what he had just done was inexcusable. "Stay away from me."

It took all Sam had not to punch him too but he didn't. He led Andy out to a cruiser and drove her back to the station. Andy had to give her statement and that would take a while. Sam brought her coffee and a muffin while she waited. "Are you ok?"

She nodded as she broke off pieces of the muffin. "Tired but ok." She looked him up and down. "No uniform and a detectives shield?" He smiled a little and shrugged. "Looks good on you."

He took her hand. "I figured it out."

She could tell there was something different about him. "You look great."

He smiled and chuckled. "You do too." Jacob Blackstone came into take her statement. Before he left he squeezed her hand. "I won't leave without you."

While she was debriefing he did a little grocery shopping and bought a few other things because he knew she'd be too tired. He finally made his way back to the station. He felt her walk into his office before she put her hand on his shoulder.

He looked up into the tired smiling face of the woman he loved. "Hey gorgeous."

She smiled softly and let him pull her into his lap. "Hey yourself. You didn't have to wait you know?"

Sam ran his fingers through her hair and nodded. "Yeah I did. Told you I would."

Andy curled up to the man she'd missed terribly for the last six months, laid her head on his shoulder. She sighed happily as she said. "I have missed this so much."

He chuckled as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. "I've missed it too." They sat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying being back together. He felt her breathing slow and knew he needed to get her home. "Come on. I'll take you home."

Once they got in his truck she pushed up the center console and curled up next to him again. Sam happily drove home with one arm around her. He practically had to carry her up to her apartment. Thankfully he'd gotten the groceries while she was debriefing. She looked like a sleepy little kid when he put her on the sofa.

Andy hadn't slept well in months but the moment she was in his presence it all hit her at once. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

He kissed her forehead. "Had no plan of leaving you." He kissed her again. "I know you're tired but I bet you're hungry too."

She stretched and nodded. "Food would be great." He kissed her again before he disappeared into her kitchen. Andy finally joined him and watched as he made her pancakes. She smiled as she watched him flip them. "You're kind of perfect you know?"

He chuckled as he passed her a plate. "I don't know about perfect. I'd like to think I'm prefect for you though. Hopefully."

Andy stood up and walked around the bar to stand beside him. "You are perfect for me." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "We're definitely perfect for each other."

He kissed her hard. "I like the way you think." He nudged her back to her pancakes. "Eat. I'm not going anywhere."

She took the first bite and moaned. "Oh! My god! Sam, this is so good. Thank you." He nodded. "I haven't had pancakes in six months."

He found that strange. "Why not? There had to be a diner close to you."

Andy shrugged. "I love yours and..."

He smiled and took her hand. "I'll make you pancakes every day for the rest of our lives to make up for it."

She beamed at him and dropped her fork before she pounced on him. "I love you."

He steadied himself as her body crashed into his. "I love you too."

Their lips slowly met, lightly brushing across each other; six months since they'd seen each other, touched each other, kissed each other, made love. He whispered against her lips. _"I forgot how soft you are." _He lightly kissed her neck and shoulders_. "You taste so good."_

He was driving her crazy. _"God Sam." _She moaned and scrunched her fingers through his hair. "Six months is a _long time._" He reached up and caressed her cheek, brushed the pad of his thumbacross her lips. _"I love the way you kiss me." _ She leaned in and softly kissed him. _"I love the way your hands feel on me." _They kissed deeply. _"I love the way you feel inside me Sam. I need you."_

His heart was thudding. _"Jesus Andy._" She practically ripped his shirt off then roughly pulled her own off. He dipped his head down and kissed the tops of her breast. _"Perfect. Absolutely perfect."_

Andy slid off his lap and pulled him up, her hands sliding to his belt buckle. She slowly unbuckled and unzipped him as they kissed deeply. Sam's hands were busy with her jeans as well. They kicked out of their jeans and stood before each other.

Andy ran her hands up his stomach, across his chest, and wrapped them around his neck. His hands slowly moved up her back to unclasp her bra. Andy's head fell back and she sighed. "Your hands are so perfect." The calluses on his fingertips making her gasp as he lightly grazed his fingers over her breasts.

Sam scooped her up and carried her back to her bedroom. They made up for the last six months before falling asleep tangled together. Andy took her mandatory week off and then happily returned to work. She was surprised at how well Sam fell into his new position. It proved to be perfect for their relationship.


End file.
